A flexible panel can be attached at its edges to a rigid overhead support structure and suspended from the support structure to simulate a ceiling. The so-called false ceiling can be applied in an outdoor space or in a variety of indoor spaces including, for example, showrooms, entertainment halls, exhibition halls, industrial spaces and offices. In an outdoor application, the flexible panel can create a canopy defining in whole or in part an auxiliary outdoor space. In an indoor application, the flexible panel can similarly define in whole or in part an auxiliary indoor space. Moreover, the flexible panel can be suspended below an existing ceiling to obscure the view of unsightly exposed ceiling structures such as beams and trusses, as well as the components of electrical, hydraulic and HVAC systems.
In some false ceilings, the edges of the flexible panel are attached to elongate rails in the support structure at discrete attachment points. The flexible panel, for instance, may have holes defined at its edges, with the flexible panel being tethered or otherwise attached to the elongate rails through the holes. This type of false ceiling, although functionally satisfactory, can provide an unsatisfactory visual experience at the attachment between the elongate rails and the edges of the flexible panel.